By Nancy Keates
Divorced with two teenage children, Dave Dallas was looking for a project when he purchased a large stone mansion just outside Clinton, N.J., a small town about 58 miles west of Manhattan.
Dallas, 71, was drawn to the property's history. Known as Lansdown Manor, the estate was built in 1771 by Colonel Charles Stewart, who would become a general in George Washington's army during the Revolutionary War. "I found it really interesting," says Dallas, who grew up in the area and is now chief executive of the Dallas Group of America, a chemicals company his father started.
The house was located along the Raritan River in Hunterdon County, so Dallas saw it as a great place for his children to explore -- and a new challenge, since the 3,000-square-foot saltbox house where he lived nearby had already been renovated.
Dallas paid $970,000 for the house in 1999, then spent around $1.5 million on a full-scale renovation.
The renovation
In 2003, Dallas redid the kitchen, great room and bathrooms. He also expanded the garage to accommodate four cars and added a two-bedroom guest bungalow.
He spent roughly $500,000 upgrading the electrical systems, refreshing the exterior and putting in new flooring in 2010.
A working farm
A farmer still grows feed corn and soybean on 40 of the property's acres, allowing Dallas to qualify for New Jersey's Farmland Assessment Program, which lowers his taxes about $5,000 a year, Dallas estimates. He lets the farmer use the land for free.
A buyer would have the option of subdividing the land into four parcels, he says.
Can't-miss features
The house has original pine floors, antique chandeliers and nine working fireplaces. There is a recently resurfaced in-ground pool and a 19th-century tavern room.
Reason for selling?
Dallas wanted to move closer to his brother, who also works for the family business, so he bought a home in Bernardsville, about 20 miles away from Clinton.
What he'll miss
He loved watching the fields turn green in spring and brown in winter. He will also miss seeing such wildlife as deer, foxes and even black bears, plus the human visitors who would stop by occasionally because of their ties with the home's history and previous owners.
What he won't miss
Mowing the lawn took him more than three hours without stopping, Dallas says. The lawn at his new house is much smaller because much of the home's acreage is wooded.
Market snapshot
The median sales price of detached single-family homes in Hunterdon County in February was $706,051, down 3.9% over last February, according to listing agent Bob Beatty of Weichert Realtors in Clinton. In August 2025, a 6,000-square-foot stone 18th-century mansion on 200 acres nearby sold for $6 million.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 20, 2026 15:00 ET (19:00 GMT)
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